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FAQ of General Insurance

What is Insurance?

We face a lot of risks in our daily lives. Some of these lead to financial losses. Insurance is a way of protecting against these financial losses. For a payment (premium), an insurance company will take the responsibility of compensating your financial losses.

What is General Insurance?

Insuring anything other than human life is called general insurance. Examples are insuring property like house and belongings against fire and theft or vehicles against accidental damage or theft. Injury due to accident or hospitalisation for illness and surgery can also be insured. Your liabilities to others arising out of the law can also be insured and is compulsory in some cases like motor third party insurance.

Why should one insure ?

One of the main reasons one should insure is to protect one's belongings and assets against financial loss. When one has earned and accumulated property, protecting it is prudent. The law also requires us to be insured against some liabilities. That is, in case we should cause a loss to another person, that person is entitled to compensation. To ensure that we can afford to pay that compensation, the law requires us to buy liability insurance so that the responsibility of paying the compensation is transferred to an insurance company.

Who should buy General Insurance?

Anyone who owns an asset can buy insurance to protect it against losses due to fire or theft and so on. Each one of us can insure our and our dependents' health and well being through hospitalisation and personal accident policies. To buy a policy the person should be the one who will bear financial losses if they occur. This is called insurable interest.

What kinds of policies are there?

Most general insurance policies are annual – that is, they last for one year. Some policies are given for longer periods – like fire insurance for residences – and some for shorter periods – like insurance for goods transportation or for emergency medical treatment during foreign travel.

How much should I insure for?

The amount you insure for is called the sum assured. Normally a policy should cover the value of the asset – either the market value while insuring, or the cost of replacing the asset should it be lost or destroyed. The premium will depend on the sum assured.

Can I take two policies and get claims under both of them?

In case of an indemnity cover (one that seeks to compensate the actual loss )--for instance, a policy that covers property, if there are two policies in vogue, the loss shall be shared by both the policies. In no case can an insured get more than the actual pecuniary loss he or she has incurred. On the other hand, in respect of benefit policies like the Personal Accident policy, where a fixed compensation is paid, no matter what the actual loss is , one may obtain more than one policy.

On what basis is claim paid?

In indemnity policies, the upper limit of a claim is the sum assured and this usually applies for the period of the policy. Certain policies, however, allow for reinstatement of the Sum Insured by payment of proportionate premium for the remaining period of the policy. The actual claim will be the actual extent of financial loss as validated by documents like bills. If the property is underinsured, the insured shall bear a rateable proportion of the loss. There can be more than one claim in the policy period but the sum assured is usually the limit for the policy period unless reinstated.

Nowadays health insurance policies which cover hospitalisation costs,have also a cashless settlement of claims. That is, you don't have to pay for the treatment at the hospital and then make a claim for reimbursement of the expenses. The insurance company has a service provider called the third party administrator (TPA) health services, who liaises with the hospitals and directly makes the payment for your treatment as per the terms of your policy and coverage.

What is the periodicity of premium payments?

Most general insurance policies are annual and the premium payment is in advance. No risk commences unless you have paid the premium. In some long term policies companies have the facility of collecting premiums periodically.

Why do different people have different premiums ?

The premium is calculated on the extent and nature of the cover you want. A higher sum insured means a higher rate of premium. Similarly a higher risk will be charged a higher premium. An example of this is that an older person will have to pay a higher premium for health insurance for the same sum insured. Sometimes the risk is higher depending on the location of risks – for example in motor insurance in areas where accidents are higher. So the premium will vary according to the nature and severity of the risk.

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